None.
None.
Vaccinium hybrid.
Sebring.
xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 is a southern highbush blueberry clone with very low chilling requirement that is intended for production of fresh-market blueberries in areas where mean January temperatures average as high as 63xc2x0 F. xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 is a complex interspecific hybrid that was produced in a recurrent selection breeding program at the University of Florida in which genes for large berry size, high berry quality, and upright growth habit from Vaccinium corymbosum were being combined with genes, derived from Vaccinium darrowi, which impart summer heat tolerance, low chilling requirement, and adaptation to other features of the Florida environment. The seed that gave rise to xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 was produced by hand pollination of the variety xe2x80x98Sharpbluexe2x80x99 (unpatented) with pollen from the variety xe2x80x98O""Nealxe2x80x99 (unpatented). xe2x80x98Sharpbluexe2x80x99, a leading southern highbush variety in Florida, has a low chilling requirement and a large, well-flavored berry, but it ripens over an extended (8-week or more) period, has a wet picking scar and skin that often tears as the berry is picked, has dried corollas that frequently adhere to the ripe berry, and is highly susceptible to blueberry rust and other fungal leaf spots. xe2x80x98O""Nealxe2x80x99, a variety developed at North Carolina State University, produces a large, firm berry with a good picking scar, but its chilling requirement is too high to permit commercial production in Florida. When grown in Florida, O""Neal does not produce enough new leaves in the spring to support a full crop of berries.
xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 was selected in 1983 from a field nursery in Gainesville, Fla., based on high fruit quality, early ripening, and low chilling requirement. The seedling was propagated from softwood cuttings, and an 8-plant plot was established in the field in Gainesville, Fla. in 1987. In 1988, xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 was again propagated by cuttings, and 10-plant plots were established at each of three other sites in north and central Florida. From these tests it was determined that xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 flowers, leafs, and fruits early and reliably, even in central Florida, and even after winters when temperatures are above normal. xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 produces an upright bush with flowers borne on stout twigs. The berry is about the same size as the xe2x80x98Sharpbluexe2x80x99 berry, but the ripening period is more concentrated and berry size does not decline as much after midseason as with xe2x80x98Sharpbluexe2x80x99. Because the scar is somewhat better for the xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 berry and because the dried corollas are not retained on the ripe berry, xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 berries can be packed for the fresh market with less trouble than xe2x80x98Sharpbluexe2x80x99 berries. It is expected that the main use for xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 will be for early fresh-fruit production in areas with very mild winters when planted with other very low-chill varieties for cross pollination.
xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 is stable and can be reproduced true-to-type from softwood cuttings. Several hundred plants that were propagated by cuttings at the University of Florida in Gainesville and several thousand plants propagated by cuttings at Payne Blueberry Farm, Sebring, Fla., have been grown to the age of fruiting and have shown no deviation from the characteristics of the clone.
xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 has the following novel combination of characteristics that set it apart from other blueberry varieties.
a. It flowers and produces an abundance of new leaves in late winter or early spring when grown where mean January temperatures are as high as 63xc2x0 F.
b. It produces medium to large, firm berries with a medium to dry scar and a sweet, subacid flavor.
c. It is upright in growth habit, produces stout canes and has limited twigginess.
d. It roots readily from softwood cuttings.
e. When grown in north-central Florida (mean January temperature 56xc2x0 F.) the average date of 50% flowering is February 15 and the average date of 50% ripe fruit is May 1.
f. The berry is medium to light blue in color.
g. The clone is tetraploid, with a somatic chromosome number of 48.
h. xe2x80x98Sebringxe2x80x99 has moderately good resistance to Phytophthora root rot and good resistance to stem blight (Botryosphaeria dothidia) and cane canker (Botryosphaeria corticis).